Well, despite the shortcomings of Rome I do believe it is a worthy purchase if you intend to play it with Mods or plan to get BI which is much more interesting than RTW: Vanilla. I do suggest that you search Ebay and get a used copy (I got mine for $20) and immediately download and install the Rome Total Reality mod.

I'm a big fan of the Roman period and particulary enjoy re-enacting famous battles which can be loads of fun. Caesar vs. Pompey, Caesar vs. Vercingetorix, Scipio Publius vs. Hannibal Barca, etc... Its interesting to see what results you find armed with foresight and hindsight into these showdowns.